


Alpha

by Inspire_me_to_breathe



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action, Angst, Cute, Developing Relationship, Drama, Epic, Friends to Lovers, Hogwarts, Humour, M/M, Marauders, Romance, origins story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-16
Updated: 2014-01-12
Packaged: 2018-01-04 21:29:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1085894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inspire_me_to_breathe/pseuds/Inspire_me_to_breathe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus Lupin and Sirius Black’s love story. From the kindling of their relationship to the bitter end. Mature language and sexual scenes later on. Drama, humour, angst, romance, action… It's got it all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Anonymity

Remus closed his eyes, appreciating the temporary refuge it offered from the assault on his senses. All around him were the cries of fond goodbyes, the clatter of trunks being hauled onto the carriages and the steady rumbling of the large scarlet engine. He could feel the shoves and pushes of people moving past him and realised he was standing in the middle of the platform like an idiot, while all the other students boarded the Hogwarts Express.

His eyes flickered open and he grabbed his trunk, pulling it along with one hand while keeping a firm grip with his other on the enveloped letter from his mum. She, being a muggle, was prohibited from entering the platform so this was her way of saying goodbye.

His father turned back to look for him, frowning when he noticed the time.

“Hurry up, Remus! You don’t want to miss the train.”

Remus smiled at his dad’s teasing tone, sensing the undercurrent of worry that had grown familiar over the years. His condition had taken its toll on both his parents, although they tried to hide it, and Remus knew that they were both concerned about his acceptance into Hogwarts. But it would be fine, he had promised them. He would be careful.

“Have you forgotten anything?” He dad asked softly, reaching out a hand to place against his son’s cheek. Remus nodded, enjoying the warmth against his skin. Last night had been a particularly trying affair and the small gestures of affection from his parent’s soothed the worse of his pains.

“I checked everything five minutes before we left. It’s all there.” Remus reassured his dad with an easy grin. “Can you help me with my trunk?”

“Sure.” He dad replied, feeling embarrassed that he had to be asked. He picked it up easily and followed Remus onto the carriage.

“If you get lonely, or need anything, you can always write to us. And we’ll write every week anyway.” His father’s tone was serious although his smile didn’t falter for a second. “And if any of the kids find out…” He paused, seeing Remus’s discomfort, “Well, I’m sure everything will be okay. Remember to hide your scars, and don’t draw attention to yourself. Just be careful, won’t you?”

“I always am.” Remus mumbled, placing a swift kiss on his dad’s cheek and hugging him for the last time. “I’ll miss you.”

“We’ll miss you too.” His dad replied fondly. He felt a pang of worry, but supressed it, instead disentangling himself from their embrace and hopping back onto the platform. “Have a good time!”

At that moment, the train roared to life and began to crawl away from the crowds of parents. Remus’s father waved enthusiastically and Remus grinned at his silliness, before turning away reluctantly and walking down the corridor with his trunk in tow.

Most of the compartments were full already. A lot of the older students were quickly readjusting to Hogwarts life and had already located their friends, but Remus was too nervous to enter any of these compartments and headed further down the train.

He had been discouraged from getting close to any of the children his age in the village, and, consequently, found himself to be quite shy. The fact the family never stayed in one place for too long, and he had been home-schooled, didn’t help his social skills much either. But Remus was determined to make some friends this year, despite his parent’s warnings.

He had a plan. Start small. A casual conversation about school work or the food. The plan was simple enough, and just knowing it was there reassured Remus.

So it was with this in mind that he entered a mostly unpopulated compartment. Only one boy occupied it; a small, blond boy with blunt features and an overwhelmed expression on his face.

“Hello.” Remus began a little awkwardly, hovering in the doorway, “Do you mind if I sit here?”

The blond boy looked startled at being addressed directly, let alone being asked permission for something, so he nodded excitedly and squeaked his affirmation.

Remus smiled warmly and placed his trunk on the overhead rack. He noticed the smaller boy’s trunk had been abandoned at his feet, probably after multiple attempts to lift it to the racks himself.

“Shall I put this up here next to mine?” Remus asked out of politeness. He wondered if the other boy would find his suggestion offensive, but the boy reacted completely the opposite.

“Yes, please!” he beamed, his face flushing as he watched Remus lift the trunk up with ease. “I’m Peter, by the way.” He said in a tone indicating pride at being able to present this useful piece of information. Remus’s lips quirked up slightly and he sat down facing the boy.

“I’m Remus Lupin.” He said amiably. “Are you a first year?”

Peter nodded, unable to think of a suitable response.

“So am I.” Remus said helpfully, and forced the conversation on. “Are you excited, or nervous about coming here?”

“A bit of both,” Peter admitted, “My dad told me that I was not to screw this up, so I hope I won’t.”

Remus nodded in what he hoped was an understanding manner. “Did he go to Hogwarts too?”

“Oh, yes!” Peter exclaimed, “He was in Hufflepuff, which is what I hope to be in. He said Hogwarts is brilliant, and everyone’s so nice, but you have to be careful not to get picked on, because some students aren’t so nice, especially to those who are different, like me.”

Remus took a second to translate the statement into something coherent. “Well, my mum always says if you are polite and open, people will want to be friends with you.”

The smaller boy looked like he could do with some advice, and he lapped it up thoughtfully. “I used to get bullied in primary school,” He confessed, his cheeks reddening slightly, leaning toward Remus as he divulged his secret. “Dad told me not to let it happen here, because I’m more grown up now and should be able to stand up for myself.”

Remus smiled, “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Peter beamed at this prediction, and was about to respond when the door of the compartment slid open and two boys crashed onto the seats next to them.

The one next to Peter locked the door hurriedly, his messy, black hair falling in front of his eyes for a second in his excitement. He pushed it back, readjusting his glasses, and turned to his companion, who had settled himself next to Remus with an air of casual innocence. “That was a close one.”  He grinned.

The boy next to Remus smirked back at him, crossing a leg over the other in a dignified manner. “But definitely worth it.”

The boys cracked up in hysterics, leaving Remus and Peter completely bemused. The boys didn’t particularly seem in a rush to introduce themselves, and it seemed they had more important things on their minds.

“In approximately seven seconds,” The boy with the longer, black hair and the aristocratic good looks now addressed Remus and Peter, “A girl will come and start yelling at us. If she asks, James and I have been here all the time.” This was accompanied by a conspiring wink and a snicker from the boy next to Peter.

Remus could only stare as the prediction was fulfilled right on time. An angry looking girl, probably a few years older than them, strode past their compartment, did a double-take and then spun around, glaring at the boys. However, Remus didn’t have time to take this all in because he was too preoccupied with her hair. It was dyed an unnatural shade of purple, and he was convinced he knew who was to blame.

His deduction was proved correct a second later when she strode towards them, banging on the door to be let in.

James raised an eyebrow at the scene, before purposely rising and casually unlocking the door.

“Can we help you?” he asked, his voice the perfect balance of concern and polite disinterest. Remus felt the boy next to him stiffen slightly as he tried (quite successfully) to supress his giggles.

“You bloody, first year idiots!” The girl roared, “You’ve ruined my hair! And don’t try and play dumb with me – I know you did it. Daisy saw you two running off looking guilty.”

Her face was turning a puce colour that clashed terribly with her new hair colour.

“I don’t know what you mean!” James said airily, before turning to consult his friend, “Sirius, do you have any idea what she’s talking about?”

“Not at all,” Sirius replied gravely, a flicker of boredom passing over his handsome features, “She seems a bit delusional if you ask me.”

James nodded in sincere agreement. “Yes, you’re probably right. After all, it couldn’t have been us.”

“You lying little prick!” The girl growled, “Daisy saw you!”

“No, she didn’t.” Remus said suddenly, standing up to add authority to his words. Everyone looked at him in surprise, the girl having obviously not noticed him in her anger, “James and Sirius have been sitting here with Peter and I the whole time. They haven’t left the compartment once.” He added with a nonchalant shrug. “They’re innocent.”

Sirius and James exchanged a victorious glance as the girl seemed to be reassured by his words. She still glared at them suspiciously though, so Remus, now having caught himself up in their lie, decided to distract her.

“It’s probably very simple to change your hair back,” he mused, moving closer to inspect the damage, “A simple charm would do it. Any ideas?” he turned to James, his tone obviously indicating that if he didn’t fix it, he would be in trouble.

James thought for a moment. He knew the spell to turn hair purple, but not to change it back. Still, a few alterations to the original spell would hopefully do it. “ _M_ _utatio_ _capilli_?" He guessed, tentatively.

Remus considered this, trying to recall the basic rules of incantations taught to him by his father. “I think that would change the colour, but it might change it to something else, not the original colour. We need something more specific.”

Sirius made a bored sound behind him, “Why do we have to do it? Surely some of her bimbo friends know a spell.”

James spoke quickly before the girl could start yelling again. “But we’re such gentlemen, _Sirius,_ that we _have_ to help. We’re too pure and innocent to consider any other courses of action.”

Sirius understood what James was getting at; assisting the girl proved their virtue.

“ _R_ _e_ _vertor_ ,” He muttered, resigning to their logic. “That should do it.”

James raised an eyebrow, wondering the legitimacy of Sirius’s efforts to help, but Remus realised the validity of the incantation and pieced together the spell.

“ _Capilli revertor_.” Remus tested it out on his tongue. It flowed nicely and seemed acceptable. “I reckon it’ll work.”

James grinned, raising his wand to point it, rather threateningly, at the girl’s face.

“Not you!” She exclaimed, “I’m not having you exploding my head or something. You’re a bloody first year, for crying out loud!”

Remus supressed a laugh at the indignant expression on James’s face, but tried to stay serious for the benefit of the girl, who looked on the verge of tears.

“Shall I do it?” He said in a low, trustworthy voice; the same voice used by his parents to soothe him in the mornings after a full moon. The girl blinked at him, and slowly nodded her assent.

Remus smiled reassuringly and took out his own wand. He was confident he was not going to explode her head. James watched on in interest.

“ _Capilli revertor_!” Remus uttered the spell quietly, and was pleased to find the hair dulling in colour. The girl grabbed her ponytail and shoved what she could see of her hair into her line of vision. She squealed in relief when she saw the familiar mousy coloured brown.

“Thank you!” She cried and then ran back down the train to share the good news with her friends.

She hadn’t realised that a streak of purple remained.

James and Sirius burst out laughing the second the door was tightly closed.

“That was brilliant!” James snickered, “So devious!”

Remus sat down slowly, “It was accidental, not intentional.”

“Who cares?” Sirius sniggered, “Served that stuck-up bitch right.”

“She was very angry, wasn’t she?” Peter agreed, frowning in concern.

Sirius cast him an odd look, obviously not impressed by the boy’s stating of the obvious. “Who are you?” He demanded rudely.

“His name’s Peter.” James supplied, leaning back comfortably and placing his feet on the seat in front of him, “I was paying attention.” He offered Remus as an explanation.

Remus looked impressed and James smiled at him warmly.

“Yes! I’m Peter.” The boy agreed, “And this is…” he trailed off, screwing up his face as he thought hard. “Remus!”

Remus confirmed this with a slight nod of his head. “So, can I ask why you dyed her hair purple?”

“She’s a distant cousin.” Sirius said in distaste, “She deserved it.”

Remus didn’t know how to respond to that.

“She’s my distant cousin too.” James informed him, “Which means Sirius and I are related; practically brothers!”

“Really?” Remus wondered.

“Yeah,” Sirius said dismissively, “Nearly all pure-blood wizards are related.”

Remus felt suddenly awkward. He was a half-blood, and it was well-known that pure-bloods looked down on anyone who didn’t possess the magical ancestry shared by the high-class families.

“I’m a Potter, he’s a Black.” James supplied, “But that doesn’t really mean anything.”

Sirius growled; whether in agreement or out of annoyance, Remus couldn’t tell.

“My dad always says you have to judge a person on their character, not on their name.” James went on, “Because that’s how you truly get to know someone.”

Remus nodded in approval, stealing a glance at Sirius. The boy’s face was slightly turned away and the shadows seemed to darken his face, but his eyes were shining brightly.

“Don’t tell my mother that.” Sirius voice was full of scorn, “She would vehemently disagree.”

“Ah, yes,” James grinned, “The infamous Walburga Black.”

Remus recognized the name from some of his father’s various stories. The shock hit him suddenly when he realized he was sitting next to the son of Walburga Black. His parents would never believe it.

“I recall she and my uncle had a bit of a run in the other week, did they not?” James smirked at the dark expression on Sirius’s face.

“She just disapproved of him donating all that money to charity.” Sirius shrugged, “Especially one that helps mudbloods.”

All the occupants of the carriage flinched at the word, and James leant forward with surprisingly fast reflexes and smacked Sirius around the head.

“Don’t say that!” He snapped fiercely.

Sirius simply looked confused as he rubbed his sore head, “Why not?”

“It’s not a good word.” Remus explained mildly, “People don’t like it.”

“I can see that!” Sirius huffed, glaring at James reproachfully, “But that’s stupid. It’s just a word. My family say it all the time.”

James rolled his eyes, “Be that as it may, don’t say it at Hogwarts.”

Sirius agreed, looking slightly confused, because it would please his new friends. But still the tension in the compartment remained, and he tried a change of subject to distract them from his social faux-pas. “Which house do you want to be in?”

“Hufflepuff!” Peter announced proudly. Sirius let out a mocking laugh.

“Well, my whole family have been in Gryffindor,” James said quickly, “So I will too.”

“You sound pretty confident.” Sirius said lightly, “My family are all Slytherins, so I expect that’s where I’ll be put.”

Somehow, the casual statement seemed delicate, like Sirius was only saying it because he felt he had too. Remus bit his lip.

“But where do you want to be put?” Remus asked deliberately.

The dark-haired boy was silent for a moment, before saying in a very slow voice, “I suppose it wouldn’t be so bad to be in Gryffindor…”

James let out a shout of excitement, “Yeah! It’d be great if we were in the same house, then we’d be able to do everything together.” He turned excitedly to Remus, “What about you? Will you join us in Gryffindor?”

Remus smiled painfully. His father’s greatest wish was for him to follow in his footsteps and be a Gryffindor, but he knew very well that a dark creature such as he would never be permitted in the house of purity and bravery. But he couldn’t tell the boys that. The trick to surviving the first year at Hogwarts was to keep his profile low and his defences up.  “I don’t mind.” He lied at last, “I’ll be happy in whichever house.”

Sirius didn’t seem convinced but didn’t pursue the matter, especially because it was at that point a prefect stuck his head in and announced they would be arriving in ten minutes. They hurriedly changed into their robes. Peter seemed too excited to function properly and needed James to fish him out when he put his head through the wrong hole and ended up in a tangled mess on the floor.

Remus felt a little self-conscious when he pulled on his own, shabby robes. They were second-hand and a little worn, and next to Sirius’s finely tailored uniform, he felt very embarrassed. James’s robes were also of the highest quality, but were all creased and scrunched up from being carelessly packed. James didn’t seem to mind and Remus was further relieved when he noticed Peter’s were probably inherited, and pooled down on the floor in a heap of excess material.

“So,” James announced breathlessly as the train drew up to the station, “This is Hogwarts.”


	2. Agnation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their first night at Hogwarts is one they'll never forget.

Sirius found himself staring at all the children around him. He had never been so surrounded by wizards and witches, and he was surprised by how difficult it was to distinguish between purebloods and halfbloods. He had always been taught that there were obvious signs that showed a wizard’s social class, but as he gazed around him, he couldn’t spot any.

The first years were rounded up at one end of the platform to where a large man was waiting expectantly with a lantern swinging from one giant hand. He introduced himself as Hagrid and led them happily down to the lake shore. Sirius found himself separated from the four boys he had travelled with, and instead indulged a pretty blond girl in conversation. She giggled a lot and complimented his hair too much, so Sirius slipped away as soon as was considered polite.

He edged towards Remus, who was chatting to a red-headed girl. She seemed to be describing the reactions of her muggle parents upon learning of her acceptance to Hogwarts.

“Did they know before then?” Remus was asking, “That you were a witch?”

The girl looked thoughtful, “They knew I was special.”

Sirius shuffled closer, squeezing through the crush of first years. He couldn’t see James anywhere, and he didn’t bother looking for Peter.

“Remus!” he called, finally fighting his way close enough to make conversation, “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your pretty young friend?”

The pretty young friend in question turned to him curiously, flipping her long, red hair over one shoulder.

“I’m Lily Evans,” She replied smoothly.

“Sirius Black.” He countered with a grin. She was feisty, he could tell.

Remus shot Sirius an odd look, before continuing with the introductions, “She was just telling me about the day she got her letter. Her parents were shocked.” Remus smiled at Lily, “They had no idea - she’s muggle born, you see.”

Sirius paused, “Oh.”

“Oh?” Lily repeated archly. “What does ‘oh’ mean?”

“Nothing.” He said a little too quickly and a little too casually, “I’m sure they’re great parents.”

What he had hoped to be a compliment was taken as an insult. Even Remus glared at him.

“They are actually!” Lily snapped, before turning on heel and marching away haughtily.

Sirius stared after her, “Why are the pretty ones always the crazy ones?”

“I think it has something to do with your company,” Remus reasoned sardonically, shaking his head as he trudged forward. Sirius sped up, matching his pace.

“That may be a contributing factor, but I think it must be genetic.” Sirius muttered.

“Don’t start on about genetics.” Remus sighed, “People will think you’re insulting them again.”

“Why?” Sirius drew the question out into a complaint.

“Because people don’t like being judged on their families, their background, _or their_ _genetics_!” Remus seemed exasperated, and Sirius fell quiet. They walked in silence for a while, until Remus felt sorry for snapping and tried to revive their conversation.

“How long have you known James?” He questioned in what he hoped was a neutral tone.

Sirius answered easily enough, clearly not bearing any grudges, “I met him on the train.”

“Really?”

Remus’s surprise was justified; the pair already seemed close enough to have known each other for years. Even Sirius was a little amazed at their friendship, due to the fact he hadn’t many friends previously, unless you counted stuck-up relatives who came over on what his parents affectionately dubbed ‘play dates’.

“He was walking past when he stopped and asked me for an unlocking charm. I told him and then the next thing you knew, he had opened a trunk which was sitting on the overhead racks, and the contents fell out right on top of these second years. It was hilarious. You should have seen their faces!” Sirius chuckled. “They didn’t know who had done it. They were squealing because this girl’s knickers were stuck on her friend’s head.”

“Poor girl,” Remus muttered sympathetically, although allowing himself a small smile.

“And we just looked at each other, couldn’t stop laughing. It was brilliant.” Sirius sighed happily.

They had reached the pebbled shoreline. Before them, rising up from the inky surface of the lake, was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite its age and precarious structural elements, the castle gave the impression of strength and solidness of character, and the waning full moon cast an ethereal glow onto the evanescence of the evening mist.  The many towers and turrets glittered against the ashen sky, and Sirius suddenly felt very small and insignificant; a feeling he was not used to.

Many others seemed to witness a similar sensation, and the boat trip across the lake was subdued and solemn, as if the students had suddenly realised the importance of this day. It would change their lives forever, and none of them were willing to sacrifice the moment for a round of meaningless chatter.

Then they were swept through to the entrance hall, where they restless conversation started up again. Sirius tried to catch the eye of the annoyed red-head girl Lily, but she was giggling with two other girls and ignored him completely. Sometime during the journey Remus had slipped away from Sirius’s side, and there was no sign of James or Peter.

“Settle down, please.” Came a stern, female voice with a slight hint of a Scottish accent. Sirius jerked his head up to see a dignified looking witch standing before the huddle of first years. She surveyed them with an expert eye, shooting a harsh glance at those still talking.

“I am Professor McGonagall. In a moment you shall enter the Great Hall and be sorted into your houses. I expect that you will be on your best behaviour, and I remind you that first impressions can only be made once, so please do not misbehave.” For some reason she seemed to be directly addressing James, who was standing there with a stupid grin on his face. “The Sorting Hat will place you into one of the four houses, and then you will make your way, quietly and calmly, to your new house’s table.”

She stilled for a moment, taking the opportunity to glare once more in friendly warning, before sweeping through the magnificent doors leading to the Great Hall. As the group of students hesitantly followed her, the four boys found themselves, at last, altogether again, and they walked forward, side by side. Sirius noted with pleasure the looks of delight on his friend’s faces as they experienced the wonder of the castle’s rich décor and architecture for the first time. He, himself, was used to such material displays of grandiose. He had visited enough grandparent’s mansions to be desensitized towards the physical splendour.

“Everyone’s staring at us.” Remus muttered self-consciously as they passed under the gaze of the older students.

James grinned easily, enjoying the attention. He put on a little strut, which made his friends laugh and eased the pressure of trying not to trip over their robes and fall on their faces in front of everyone.

Soon they were gathered around an unstable looking stool where a dishevelled hat perched upon precariously. One by one the students were called up to the raised stage to be sorted, and soon it was Sirius’s turn.

James clapped him on the shoulder as encouragement, but that didn’t stop Sirius from feeling sick with nerves. The cost of not being sorted into Slytherin could be anything from a howler to disownment. Only Remus’s reassuring grin seemed to calm him; there was something very therapeutic about that smile, Sirius decided. It seemed trust-worthy.

But as he sat upon the stool and felt the hat being placed on his head, Sirius felt a flutter of unease.

“Sirius Black.” The voice seemed to be coming from someplace close to his ear. “We’ve had Blacks here before.”

Sirius squirmed slightly, feeling the gaze of hundreds of people.

“So, where to put you?” The voice sounded bored, betraying the gravity Sirius had associated with the sorting process. “In Slytherin you will be among family; you would do well there. Exceed yourself; your ambition would flourish. But then, such a keen mind would not go amiss in Ravenclaw. There is true intelligence here, but disinclination towards expending any effort. Well, what about Hufflepuff? You regard the trait of loyalty very highly, do you not? And there is kindness in your heart, no doubt. And bravery enough for Gryffindor.”

Sirius wished the hat would just pick already. He was feeling slightly nauseous. Even as the hat was babbling on, Sirius was turning towards the Slytherin table, knowing it was his eventual fate. If the hat ever shut up.

“But these are just fragments of you, are they not? Just snippets and flickers and scraps. We want the whole picture. We want _you_ ; all of you. Too pure for Slytherin. Too mischievous for Ravenclaw. Too arrogant for Hufflepuff. But, perhaps not _too_ unsuited for…”

Sirius was confused.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

The hall erupted with cheers, and Sirius was numbly aware of his leg’s carrying him towards the loudest table.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” He muttered. This was not the plan. His parents would kill him. But there was nothing he could do, except grin weakly at his neighbours and try to restrain from swearing aloud.

At some point Lily Evans joined him at the table, her face flushed with pleasure. She was too thrilled to even glare at Sirius very convincingly, so turned to a third year and chatted genially about school life.

Suddenly, Sirius’s social reflexes kicked in and he engaged other students in conversation. His mother would be disgusted if she could see him sitting there like a befuddled fool. But his chatter stopped when he heard another name being called out for sorting.

“Remus Lupin!”

Sirius watched with interest as Remus approached the hat, a look of resigned sadness on his face. It made him curious, wondering what the other boy could possibly be thinking about. The hat had barely sat on his head for a second before the hat called out, very decisively, “GRYFFINDOR!”

The shock on Remus’s face mirrored how Sirius had supposed he had looked after his own sorting, and he cheered loudest of all to compensate.

Remus sank down on the seat next to Sirius, still looking faintly shell-shocked.

“Is this really Gryffindor?” He asked in quiet disbelief.

“Yes.” Sirius smirked, “And we’re both in it!”

A few more people were sorted, during which time Sirius nattered irrepressibly to Remus, who wasn’t paying attention. Then it was Peter Pettigrew’s turn, and to the surprise of almost everyone, the hat called out, with slight uncertainty, for him to be sorted into Gryffindor. The small boy stumbled as he made his way to the table, looking more gormless than before. He slid in opposite Sirius and blinked several times, before breaking out into a large grin. He had evidently concluded that Gryffindor might actually prove to be better than Hufflepuff.

There was no question which house James would be sorted into. The hat sounded disappointed, as if it had been denied a challenge with such an easy sorting task.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Jame’s presence at the table really lifted the conversation, and he and Sirius enjoyed the attention of the other new students as they joked loudly and boisterously.

“Look at that kid!” Sirius laughed, “His hair is so greasy the hat’s slipping down his head!”

James sniggered, “If it covers his face, that can only be a good thing.”

The student in question was sorted promptly, and moved out of the line of Jame’s and Sirius’s fire to the safety of the Slytherin table.

Slowly, the number of unsorted students decreased, until the last one had skipped off to Hufflepuff. Only then did a very wise looking man stand up to divert the attention of the students towards him. He raised his arms in a grand gesture and looked down at the pupils with the air of a proud father, something Sirius was not too familiar with.

“Welcome to this new year at Hogwarts.” He smiled warmly, “I am Professor Dumbledore, and _you_ are the students who will take every opportunity this year to exceed yourselves both academically and privately. At least, that’s what you’ll be telling your parents when you write home.” Dumbledore paused, his tone light, “Now let us enjoy the feast!”

***

“Is this really our room?” Peter gasped, staring in awe at the crimson hangings and the four poster beds.

“It’s a bit small.” James wrinkled his nose in distaste, obviously more accustomed to a larger living area in his own mansion. Sirius couldn’t help but privately agree, but he gratefully settled down on the bed next to the window, feeling quite content.

“This is going to be our home for the next seven years.” Remus said quietly.

“Unless we get expelled first.” James sniggered, dumping his stuff at the end of his bed and then rooting around in his trunk. “Who wants a game of exploding snap?”

“I do!” Sirius’s eyes lit up and he slid onto the floor where James was already shuffling the cards, “Mother banned us from playing because she said it was an uncouth, vulgar game.”

Remus raised an eyebrow but joined them on the floor, sitting cross-legged next to Sirius, who seemed incapable of sitting still and kept wriggling about. He knocked into Remus accidentally.

“Keep your bum still!” Remus laughed, grabbing Sirius by the shoulders and forcing him to remain motionless. It worked for about a second, and then Sirius was bouncing out of his grasp.

Peter hesitantly found a spot on the floor which he deemed far enough away from Sirius to avoid getting squashed.

James started dealing out the cards with an expert hand. “I always win this when we play at home,” He said somewhat arrogantly.

Sirius scorned his words with a derisive flick of his hair and bet a galleon that James would lose.

It turned out James won the first game. And the second.

Sirius was quite pathetic at it, even when considering it was his first time playing. He was too eager to yell out ‘snap!’ that he would call unnecessary and have the cards blow up in his face. Eventually he took to imitating Remus’s techniques (who was a good player). By this it meant he would lean close to Remus and try and sneak a look at his cards.

“Move away!” Remus shoved at Sirius’s shoulder, increasing the distance between them. “I know you’re cheating.”

Sirius turned his big puppy dog eyes on Remus, trying to evoke some sympathy. “Only because I’ve never played before, and the rules are so complicated!”

“They’re really not.” Remus said mockingly, wondering how Sirius managed to look so cute.

James won the next game, and then declared he was bored as soon as it became apparent that Remus was edging ahead in the last round.

“Let’s stay up all night!” Sirius suggested excitedly, “I bet no one’s ever done it on their first day before.”

James grinned, immediately liking the sound of the idea, but Remus wasn’t convinced.

“We have classes tomorrow morning. You’re going to be shattered.” He tutted, “It’s a bad first impression.”

Sirius rolled his eyes, “Who cares? We’re only going to be able to do this once!”

“Well, please refrain from making too much noise,” Remus sneered, “I happen to want a good’s night sleep. I consider being conscious in lessons a good thing.”

James laughed good-naturedly and Remus left for the bathroom to prepare for bed.

“What about you, Peter?” James turned to the smaller boy, “Will you join us in our night-long shenanigans?”

Peter nodded excitedly even as he stifled a yawn.

Somehow they managed to keep the conversation going without any pauses. It was a wonder they had anything left to talk about. Peter kept nodding off, and the others took it in turns to prod him awake again. After the fifth time this happened, he still refused to go to bed; not wanting to miss out on anything. Sirius shot James an exasperated look at Peter’s stubbornness, but was surprised to find James’s expression to be endearingly amused. He was obviously more tolerant towards idiots than Sirius was.

“I don’t think I’ll like Herbology.” Peter was saying, “All those plant names you have to learn. And they seem so useless anyway.”

Sirius rolled his eyes at the hypocrisy but didn’t comment.

“Yeah, but once you _do_ know them, you can guess the rest of it,” James reasoned, “It can’t be that hard.”

“But some of the plants can eat you!” Peter argued with a very serious expression on his face.

“What a terrible loss that would be.” Sirius agreed sardonically.

By now the sky was unquestionably dark, but the almost full moon flushed the sky silver. The grounds of Hogwarts stretched out regardless of barrier or boundary; it seemed limitless.

There was a soft movement from Remus’s bed, and then the curtain was drawn back and Remus slipped out and sat quietly next to them.

“No chance of sleep with you lot jabbering on.” He said bluntly, curling up into a more comfortable position. “I’ve been lying awake for an hour.”

James apologized, but looked thrilled. “This is so cool! All of us, staying up all night, together.” The time passed more easily now and soon the pale redness of dawn crept across the sky like a blush. He grinned wickedly. “Boys, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”


	3. Acopic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's half of a chapter I wrote before losing inspiration :) enjoy!

“Mr Potter, please refrain from napping in my class.” McGonagall’s stern voice rudely awakened James from his slumber.

“Sorry, professor.” James offered her a charming smile which she ignored. Beside him, Sirius muffled his laughter at the rejection, and Remus simply concentrated on the continued lecture about matchboxes and magic.

This wasn’t the first time James had started nodded off that morning. He had almost fallen asleep at the breakfast table. Sirius wasn’t much better off; he kept discreetly yawning every five minutes. Poor Peter looked like Hell. Only Remus managed to operate with his normal mental faculties. He was used to sleepless nights, and, although he desperately needed a good rest, he hid his fatigue better than the rest of them.

“Now split into pairs and try the incarnation yourselves. Remember not to gesticulate too wildly.”

Peter leapt at James and leeched onto his arm, claiming his partner. James seemed mildly shocked, but didn’t comment.

“I’m with you then,” Sirius spoke casually, but Remus thought he heard an undercurrent of disappointment, and he could only smile stiffly in response.

Sirius laid the matchsticks out in a neat row, raised an eyebrow at Remus before tapping gently with his wand and delivering the spell with perfect pronunciation. Nothing happened.

“Damn it!” He looked comically annoyed and it was enough to cheer Remus up.

“Try again.” Remus suggested mildly, trying to supress the laughter he knew would offend Sirius.

“ _Transformio!”_ Sirius growled, matching his tone of voice with a harsh jab with his wand. Unexpectedly, the spell actually worked and the matchstick morphed into perfectly straight needle.

“Well done.” Remus smiled, while Sirius poked curiously at his creation. “Seems like angry spells are your speciality.”

Sirius looked pleased. “You try now. I bet you get it on your first go.”

“I bet I don’t.” Remus countered with a shake of his head. Just because he had answered McGonagall’s question correctly at the start of the lesson didn’t guarantee any success with the practical work. Remus knew he was quite skilled at magic, having being taught by his father at an early age, but he also knew Sirius came from a family of powerful wizards and it was in his blood. Therefore, he didn’t expect his spell to work straight away like Sirius’s had practically done.

“Five knuts says you do.” Sirius said cockily, extending his hand. Remus shook it amusedly and turned to address the matchsticks.

“ _Transformo!”_ He deliberately misspoke, tapping the inanimate objects cheerfully. “Oh, look. Nothing happened.” He grinned at Sirius’s annoyed expression, “You owe me five knuts.”

Sirius shot him a derisive look but didn’t argue, knowing full well he’s walked straight into that one and deserved to lose the money.

Remus arranged his face in what he hoped was his most innocent expression and redid the spell. The wood squirmed under the magic before reluctantly smoothing over and developing a patina. The end sharpened to a point and the tail rounded and sculpted itself into an eye. Remus was impressed by his needle; he had a sneaky suspicion it was even shiner than Sirius’s.

Around them various students were attempting the spell. A few had achieved it, but many were still yelling wildly without receiving any kind of response from the matchsticks. James hadn’t even bothered to try himself as he was still trying to coach Peter into performing the spell correctly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure whether I will continue this, since I don't have much free time... Encouragment, anyone? :)

**Author's Note:**

> Well.. what did you guys think? Please leave feedback! There are more chapters to come if this turns out to be popular :)


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